Configurable Power Supply Assembly

ABSTRACT

An apparatus, device, and system for generating an amount of output power in response to a direct current (DC) power input includes a configurable power supply, which may be electrically coupled to the DC power input. The configurable power supply is selectively configurable between multiple circuit topologies to generate various DC power outputs and/or and AC power output. The system may also include one or more DC power electronic accessories, such as DC-to-DC power converters, and/or one or more AC power electronic accessories such as DC-to-AC power converters. The power electronic accessories are couplable to the configurable power supply to receive the corresponding DC or AC power output of the configurable power supply.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED U.S. PATENT APPLICATION

The present application a continuation application of U.S. applicationSer. No. 13/180,170, entitled “CONFIGURABLE POWER SUPPLY ASSEMBLY,”which was filed on Jul. 11, 2011 and which claims priority under 35U.S.C.§119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/479,844, entitled “MODULAR PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SUPPLY ASSEMBLY” byPatrick Chapman, which was filed on Apr. 27, 2011, the entirety of bothof which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Cross-reference is also made to U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No.13/180,169 entitled “MODULAR PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SUPPLY ASSEMBLY” byPatrick Chapman et al., which was filed on Jul. 11, 2011 and to U.S.Utility patent application Ser. No. 13/180,176 entitled “METHOD ANDDEVICE FOR CONTROLLING A CONFIGURABLE POWER SUPPLY” by Patrick Chapman,which was filed on Jul. 11, 2011.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates, generally, to photovoltaic (PV) modulesand associated power electronic devices, and more particularly, to powerconverters for converting direct current (DC) power generated by PVmodules to DC or alternating current (AC) power.

BACKGROUND

Photovoltaic (PV) modules typically include a large number of individualsolar cells that each generate a small amount of DC power at very lowvoltage levels. As such, the individual solar cells are electricallyconnected together in serial strings of solar cells such that the PVmodule, as a whole, generates DC power at a low voltage level (e.g.,about 25 volts). For example, as shown in FIG. 22, a typicalphotovoltaic module 2200 includes a housing 2202 and a plurality ofsolar cells 2204 defined on a front side 2206 of the housing 2202. Toallow interconnection of the photovoltaic module 2200 with other modules2200, typical photovoltaic modules 2200 include a junction box 2300located on a back side 2208 of the housing 2202 as shown in FIG. 20. Thejunction box 2300 typically houses a simplistic, passive connectioncircuit 2302 that facilitates the interconnection of multiplephotovoltaic modules 2200 in a parallel or serial configuration. Atypical passive connection circuit 2302 includes a pair of bypassdiodes, which provide an alternate current path through the photovoltaicmodule 2200 should one of the solar cell strings of the module 2200become damaged, shaded, or otherwise inoperable. A pair of output wires2304 extend from the junction box 2300 and allow the photovoltaic module2200 to be coupled with other modules 2200 or with other electronicdevices.

One example of an electronic device that may be attached to thephotovoltaic module is a microinverter. Microinverters convert the DCpower generated by the associated individual photovoltaic module 2200into an AC power suitable for supplying energy to an AC grid and/or anAC load coupled to the AC grid. Microinverters may be coupled directlyto the housing 2202 of the photovoltaic module 2200 via screws,adhesive, or other securing devices. Alternatively, microinverters maybe coupled directly to the junction box 2300. The output wires 2304 ofthe photovoltaic module 2200 are electrically coupled to inputconnections of the microinverter. The output of the microinverter may becoupled to the outputs of other microinverters of a string of PV modules2200.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, a photovoltaic module may include a directcurrent (DC) power source and a configurable power supply. The DC powersource may include a plurality of solar cells configured to generate DCpower at a DC output of the DC power source in response to receiving anamount of sun light. The configurable power supply may be electricallycoupled to the DC power source. Additionally, the configurable powersupply may include an input converter and an input controller. The inputconverter may include an input electrically coupled to the DC output ofthe DC power source. The input converter may also be selectivelyconfigurable between a first circuit topology to generate a DC poweroutput and a second circuit topology to generate an alternating current(AC) power output. Additionally, the input converter may be electricallyconnected to the input converter to control the input converter toselect one of the first circuit topology and the second circuittopology.

In some embodiments, the input converter may include a buck-boostconverter when configured in the first circuit topology. Additionally oralternatively, the input converter may include a pass-through circuitwhen configured in the first circuit topology. The pass-through circuitmay be configured to pass the DC power generated by the DC power sourceto a DC output of the input converter with substantially no processing.When configured in the second circuit topology, the input converter may,in some embodiments, include a DC-AC inverter circuit.

In some embodiments, the input converter may be selectively configurableinto a third circuit topology to generate a DC power output differentfrom the DC power output of the first circuit topology. In suchembodiments, the input converter may include a buck-boost converter whenconfigured in the first circuit topology. Also, the input converter maybe a DC-AC inverter circuit when configured in the second circuittopology. Furthermore, the input converter may be a pass-through circuitwhen configured in the third circuit topology.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the input converter may include asemiconductor switch having an on state and an off state. In suchembodiments, the state of the electronic switch may configure the inputconverter into a corresponding one of the first circuit topology and thesecond circuit topology. Additionally, the input converter may beconfigured to control the state of the electronic switch to select thecorresponding one of the first circuit topology and the second circuittopology of the input converter. In other embodiments, the state of theelectronic switch may be dependent upon an control signal received fromthe input converter. The state of the electronic switch may be dependentupon a sensed DC output current of the input converter.

In some embodiments, the input converter may include an H-bridgecircuit, an inductor, and one or more electronic switches. The H-bridgecircuit may include a first input leg which may be a first electronicswitch. The H-bridge circuit may also include a second input leg whichmay be electrically coupled to the first input leg at a first node andmay include a second electronic switch. Furthermore, the H-bridgecircuit may include a third output leg which may be a third electronicswitch and a fourth output leg which may be electrically coupled to thefirst third output leg at a second node and may include a fourthelectronic switch. Likewise, the input converter may also include aninductor electrically coupled between the first node and the secondnode. Additionally, the input converter may include a fifth electronicswitch electrically coupled between the first input leg and the thirdoutput leg. The fifth electronic switch may include an on state and anoff state, where the state of the fifth electronic switch configures theinput converter into a corresponding one of the first circuit topologyand the second circuit topology. In some embodiments, the inputconverter may be configured in the second circuit topology. In thesecond circuit topology, the inductor may be a primary coil.

According to another aspect, a power supply circuit including an inputconverter and an input controller. The input converter may have an inputto receive a direct current (DC) power input and additionally mayinclude a semiconductor switch having an on state and an off state. Theinput converter may be selectively configurable between a first circuittopology to generate a DC power output and a second circuit topology togenerate an AC power output based on the state of the electronic switch.The input controller may be electrically connected to the inputconverter to supply a control signal to the electronic switch to selectthe state of the electronic switch.

In some embodiments, the input converter may include a buck-boostconverter when configured in the first circuit topology. Additionally oralternatively, the input converter may be a pass-through circuit whenconfigured in the first circuit topology. The pass-through circuit maybe configured to pass the DC power input to a DC output of the inputconverter with substantially no processing. The input converter mayinclude a DC-AC inverter circuit when configured in the second circuittopology.

In some embodiments, the input converter may include an H-bridgecircuit, an inductor, and a fifth electronics switch. The H-bridgecircuit may include a first input leg which may be a first electronicswitch. Additionally, the H-bridge circuit may include a second inputleg electrically coupled to the first input leg at a first node wherethe second input leg is a second electronic switch. Furthermore, theH-bridge circuit may include a third output leg which may be a thirdelectronic switch. Moreover, the H-bridge circuit may include a fourthoutput leg electrically coupled to the third output leg at a secondnode, where the fourth output leg is a fourth electronic switch. Theinductor may be electrically coupled between the first node and thesecond node. Also, the fifth electronic switch may be electricallycoupled between the first input leg and the third output leg.

According to a further aspect, a system for generating an amount ofoutput power in response to a direct current (DC) power input. Thesystem may include a configurable power supply and at least one of a DCelectronic accessory device and an AC electronic accessory device. Insuch embodiments, the configurable power supply may have an input toreceive the DC power input. The configurable power supply may include aninput converter and an input controller. The input converter may beselectively configurable between a first circuit topology to generate aDC power output signal at a DC output of the configurable power supplyand a second circuit topology to generate an alternating current (AC)power output at an AC output of the configurable power supply. The inputcontroller may be electrically connected to the input converter tocontrol the input converter to select one of the first circuit topologyand the second circuit topology. Additionally, the DC electronicaccessory device may be electrically couplable to the DC output of theinput converter to receive the DC power output of the input converter.The DC electronic accessory device may include a first internalelectronic circuit. Furthermore, the AC electronic accessory device maybe inductively couplable to the AC output of the input converter toreceive the AC power output of the input converter. The AC electronicaccessory device may include a second internal electronic circuit.

In some embodiments, the DC electronic accessory device may be one of alow voltage DC-to-DC power converter, a high voltage DC-to-DC powerconverter, and a DC power optimizer. Alternatively or additionally, theAC electronic accessory device may be one of a single phase DC-to-ACpower converter and a three phase DC-to-AC power converter.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of a modularphotovoltaic (PV) power supply assembly;

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of a configurablepower supply of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of an inputconverter of the configurable power supply of FIG. 2

FIG. 4 is a simplified electrical schematic of one embodiment of theinput converter of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a simplified electrical schematic of the input converter ofFIG. 4 configured to an illustrative circuit topology;

FIG. 6 is a simplified electrical schematic of the input converter ofFIG. 4 configured to another circuit topology;

FIG. 7 is a simplified electrical schematic of the input converter ofFIG. 4 configured to a further circuit topology;

FIG. 8 is a simplified illustration of one embodiment of a PV modulejunction box of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG.1;

FIG. 9 is a simplified illustration of another embodiment of a PV modulejunction box of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG.1;

FIG. 10 is a simplified illustration of another embodiment of a PVmodule junction box of the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a simplified illustration of one embodiment of a DCelectronic accessory device of the modular photovoltaic power supplyassembly of FIG. 1 being coupled to the PV module junction box of FIG.9;

FIG. 12 is a simplified illustration of one embodiment of a PV modulejunction box and an AC electronic accessory device of the modularphotovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is a simplified illustration of another embodiment of a PVmodule junction box and an AC electronic accessory device of the modularphotovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a simplified block diagram of the configurable power supplyand an AC electronic accessory device of the modular photovoltaic powersupply assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of an ACelectronic accessory device of the modular photovoltaic power supplyassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is a simplified schematic of one embodiment of the AC electronicaccessory device of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of the PV modulejunction box and an AC electronic accessory device of the modularphotovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1 having correspondinginductive coupling connectors;

FIG. 18 is a simplified block diagram of another embodiment of an ACelectronic accessory device couplable to the configurable power supplyof the modular photovoltaic power supply assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is a simplified block diagram of one embodiment of the ACelectronic accessory device of the FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a simplified schematic of one embodiment of the AC electronicaccessory device of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a simplified flowchart of one embodiment of a method forcontrolling a configurable power supply;

FIG. 22 is a simplified illustration of a typical photovoltaic (PV)module; and

FIG. 23 is a simplified block of a back side of the typical PV module ofFIG. 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodimentsthereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and willherein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, thatthere is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure tothe particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

References in the specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”,“an example embodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodiment describedmay include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, butevery embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of oneskilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristicin connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitlydescribed.

Some embodiments of the disclosure, or portions thereof, may beimplemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof.Embodiments of the disclosure may also be implemented as instructionsstored on a tangible, machine-readable medium, which may be read andexecuted by one or more processors. A machine-readable medium mayinclude any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a formreadable by a machine (e.g., a computing device). For example, amachine-readable medium may include read only memory (ROM); randomaccess memory (RAM); magnetic disk storage media; optical storage media;flash memory devices; and others.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a modular photovoltaic (PV) power supplyassembly 100 includes a PV module 102 having a housing 104 and ajunction box 106 attached to the housing 104. Illustratively, thejunction box 106 is attached to a rear side 108 of the housing 104 butmay be attached to other areas of the housing 104 in other embodiments.The PV power supply assembly 100 also includes a configurable powersupply circuit 110 located in the junction box 106. Unlike the passivecircuits located in junction boxes of typical photovoltaic modules, theconfigurable power supply circuit 110 is an active circuit configurableto generate a DC or AC power output as discussed in more detail below.

In some embodiments, the modular PV power supply assembly 100 may alsoinclude one or more electronic accessory devices 120, which may beembodied as a DC electronic accessory devices 122 (i.e., an electronicaccessory configured to receive a DC power output from the configurablepower supply circuit 110), an AC electronic accessory device 124 (i.e.,an electronic accessory configured to receive a AC power output from theconfigurable power supply circuit 110), or other electronic devices. Asdiscussed in more detail below, the accessory devices 120 are configuredto connect or otherwise couple with the junction box 106 to receive a DCand/or AC power output therefrom. The accessory devices 120 includeinternal circuitry that becomes electrically or inductively coupled tothe configurable power supply circuit 110 when the accessory device isconnected to the junction box 106. In this way, a new or completeelectronic circuit may be formed by electrically coupling of theconfigurable power supply circuit 110 and the internal circuitry of theaccessory device 120. The DC electronic accessory device 122 may beembodied as any type of electronic device couplable to the junction box106 and configured to receive a DC power output therefrom such as, forexample, a low voltage DC-to-DC power converter, a high voltage DC-to-DCpower converter, a DC power optimizer, or the like. Similarly, the ACelectronic accessory device 124 may be embodied as any type ofelectronic device couplable to the junction box 106 and configured toinductively couple to the configurable power supply circuit 110 toreceive an AC power output therefrom such as, for example, a singlephase AC-to-AC power converter (e.g., to form a single phase DC-to-ACconverter when coupled with the configurable power supply to circuit110), a three phase AC-to-AC power converter (e.g., to form a singlephase DC-to-AC converter when coupled with the configurable power supplyto circuit 110), an AC-to-DC converter (e.g., to form a DC-to-DCconverter when coupled with the configurable power supply circuit 110),or the like. Of course, in some embodiments, the modular PV power supplyassembly 100 may not include any electronic accessory devices 120 asdiscussed in more detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the configurable powersupply circuit 110 includes an input converter 202 and an inputcontroller 204 electrically coupled to the input converter 202 andconfigured to control the operation of the input converter 202 asdiscussed below. The input converter 202 includes a DC input 206electrically coupled to the DC source 200 of the PV module 102 (i.e., tothe output of the solar cells of the PV module 102) to receive a DCpower input signal therefrom and generate a power output based on aninternal circuit topology of the input converter 202. That is, asdiscussed in more detail below, the input converter 202 is configurableto one of a plurality of circuit topologies or configurations based on,for example, the desired type of output of the input converter 202 orthe type of electronic accessory device 120 to be used with theconfigurable power supply circuit 110. In some embodiments, the circuittopology of the input converter 202 is manually configurable (e.g., viaa .manually selectable switch). Alternatively, in other embodiments, theinput controller 204 is configured to control the circuit topology ofthe input converter 202 via use of one or more control signals asdiscussed in more detail below.

Depending on the particular circuit topology selected for the inputconverter 202, the input converter 202 may generate a DC power “passthrough” output in which the DC power input signal generated by the DCsource 200 is passed through the input converter 202 with minimal or noprocessing, a processed (e.g., boosted) DC power output for supplyingpower to one of the DC electronic accessory devices 122, or an “AC poweroutput” for inductively coupling to and supplying power to one of the ACelectronic accessory devices 124. It should be appreciated, as discussedin more detail below, the “AC power output” of the input converter maybe embodied as or otherwise produce an electromagnetic field forinductively coupling a secondary coil of the corresponding AC electronicaccessory device 124.

Referring now to FIG. 3, in one embodiment, the input converter 202includes a boost converter and filtering circuit 302, which iselectrically coupled to the DC source 200. The input converter 202 alsoincludes a circuit topology switch 304. Based on the state or positionof the circuit topology switch 304, the circuit topology of the inputconverter 202 may be modified. The circuit topology switch 304 may beembodied as a physical switch, which may be manually controlled, or as asemiconductor switch such as a transistor (e.g., ametal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET)). Dependingon the state of the circuit topology switch 304 (i.e., whether theswitch 304 is in an “on” state or an “off” state), the input converter202 may be configured to include a buck-boost converter circuit 306 thatsupplies a DC power output to a DC power bus 308, a bridge pass-throughcircuit 310 that supplies a minimally processed DC power output to theDC power bus 308, or an inverter circuit 312 that supplies an AC powersignal to a transformer primary 314.

One illustrative embodiment of the input converter 202 is illustrated inFIG. 4. In the illustrative embodiment, the boost converter andfiltering circuit 302 is embodied as a resonant circuit 400 including acapacitor 402, an inductor 404, and a capacitor 406. Of course, in otherembodiments, other boosting and/or filtering circuits may be used. Thecircuit topology switch 304 is embodied as a semiconductor switch 408,such as a transistor. Additionally, the buck-boost converter circuit306/inverter circuit 312 are formed from an H-bridge circuit 410. TheH-bridge circuit 410 includes four semiconductor switches 412, 414, 416,and 418, which form individual “legs” of the H-bridge. Theinductor/transformer primary 314 is coupled between a bridge node 420(the connection point between the switches 412, 414) and a bridge node422 (the connection point between the switches 416, 418). The states(on/off) of each of the semiconductor switches 412, 414, 416, 418, and408 is controlled by corresponding control signals, q1, q2, q3, q4, andq5, which may be generated by the input controller 204.

The DC power bus 308 is illustratively embodied as a capacitor 430. Inthe illustrative embodiment, the capacitor 430 is embodied as a filtercapacitor having a relatively small capacitance. However, in otherembodiments, the capacitor 430 may be embodied as one or more capacitorshaving a large capacitance value and providing an amount of energystorage for the DC output of the configurable power supply circuit 110.In one illustrative embodiment, the capacitor 430 is embodied as one ormore non-electrolytic capacitors such as one or more film capacitors.The illustrative transformer primary 314 includes a primary coil 432 andan associated core 434 (e.g., a ferrite core).

As discussed above, the state of the semiconductor switches 412, 414,416, 418, and 408 controls the circuit topology of the input converter202. For example, if the circuit topology switch 304 (i.e.,semiconductor switch 408 in FIG. 4) is in the off state (i.e., opened),the semiconductor switches 412, 414, 416, 418 are configured as abuck-boost converter 500 as shown in FIG. 5 to provide a boosted orotherwise processed DC power to the DC power bus 308. In such a circuittopology, the transformer primary 314 forms a simple inductor.

Alternatively, when the circuit topology switch 304 (i.e., semiconductorswitch 408 in FIG. 4) is in the on state (i.e., closed), thesemiconductor switches 412, 414, 416, and 418 are configured as a fullbridge inverter circuit 600 as shown in FIG. 6 to provide an AC powersignal to the transformer primary 314. In such a circuit topology, thetransformer primary 314 generates an electromagnetic field that may bereceived by a secondary coil to inductively couple the transformerprimary 314 to the secondary coil to generate AC power in the secondarycoil as discussed in more detail below.

Additionally, when the circuit topology switch 304 (i.e., semiconductorswitch 408 in FIG. 4) is in the on state and the switches 412, 416and/or 414, 418 are in the off or open state, the semiconductor switches410, 412, 414, and 416 are configured as a DC pass-through circuit 700as shown in FIG. 7 to provide a DC power output with minimal or noprocessing. That is, in such a circuit topology, the DC power input fromthe DC source 200 is passed over the H-bridge circuit and supplied tothe DC power bus 308 without being boosted or otherwise processed.

Referring now to FIG. 8, in one embodiment, the junction box 106includes a power supply housing 800, which houses the configurable powersupply circuit 110. The power supply housing 800 illustratively includesa plurality of sidewalls 802, a top or upper wall 804, and a bottom wall806. In some embodiments, the power supply housing 800 may also includea plurality mounting flanges 808 extending outwardly from the bottomwall 806 to facilitate the attachment or securing of the power supplyhousing 800 to the rear side 108 of the housing 104 of the PV module102. To do so, the mounting flanges 808 may include a plurality ofmounting holes 810.

As shown in FIG. 8, in some embodiments, the DC output of theconfigurable power supply circuit 110 is embodied as a pair of DC outputwires 820, which extend from one of the sidewalls 802 of the powersupply housing 800. junction box 106. In such embodiments, the DC ewires 820 may be used to electrically couple multiple modularphotovoltaic (PV) power supply assemblies 100 together (e.g., when theconfigurable power supply circuit 110 is configured in DC “pass through”mode). Alternatively, a DC electronic accessory device 122, such as aDC-to-DC converter, may be electrically coupled to the configurablepower supply circuit 110 via the DC output wires 820. The power supplyhousing 800 may also include one or more attachment connectors 822 forattaching or securing a DC electronic accessory device 122 or an ACelectronic accessory device 124 to the junction box 106 as discussed inmore detail below.

As shown in FIG. 9, the DC output of the configurable power supplycircuit 110 may alternatively or additionally be embodied as a pair ofDC receptacles 900 secured to or otherwise defined in one of thesidewalls 802 of the power supply housing 800 of the junction box 106.Of course, in other embodiments, a single dual polarity DC receptaclemay be used in place of the pair of signal polarity receptacles 900illustrated in FIG. 9. The DC receptacles 900 provide an access point tothe DC power output of the configurable power supply circuit 110. Whennot in use, a plug 902 may be inserted into the DC receptacles 900 toenvironmentally seal the DC receptacles 900 from the surroundingenvironment. The plugs 902 may be formed from any material capable ofbeing inserted into the DC receptacles 900 and providing a sufficientenvironmental seal. Alternatively, if the DC receptacles 900 are not tobe used, the DC receptacles 900 may simply be sealed using a suitablesealant such as epoxy, silicone, or other non-conductive sealant.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10, a pair of DC power electricalwires 1000 may be used with the DC receptacles 900. Each DC power wire1000 includes a plug 1002 located at one end and configured to mate withthe corresponding DC receptacle 900. Once mated, the DC power wires 1000may be used in a manner similar to the DC output wires 820 discussedabove in regard to FIG. 8. For example, the DC power wires 1000 may beused to electrically couple multiple modular photovoltaic (PV) powersupply assemblies 100 together or couple a DC electronic accessorydevice 122, such as a DC-to-DC converter, to the configurable powersupply circuit 110.

In some embodiments, the DC electronic accessory devices 122 may includeDC connectors for interconnecting with the DC receptacles 900. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the DC electronic accessory device122 may include an accessory housing 1100 having a plurality ofsidewalls 1102 and an upper or top wall 1104. A pair of DC connectors1110 may extend from one of the sidewalls 1102 of the accessory housing1100. The DC connectors 1110 are sized and position to be received inthe corresponding DC receptacles 900 of the power supply housing 800.Additionally, the accessory housing 1110 may include one or moreattachment connectors 1112 sized and position to be received in theattachment connectors 822 of the power supply housing 800 to secure theDC electronic accessory device 122 to the junction box 106 as discussedabove. The attachment connectors 1112 and/or the attachment connectors822 may include suitable securing structures 1114 to secure the DCelectronic accessory device 122 to the junction box 106 such as springs,clips, catch-pins, and/or the other securing devices. After the DCelectronic accessory device 122 has been secured to the junction box106, the DC output of the junction box 106 is supplied to an internalelectronic circuit 1130 of the DC electronic accessory device 122 viathe interface between the DC receptacles 900 and the DC connectors 1110.As discussed above, the internal electronic circuit 1130 may be embodiedas or otherwise include a low voltage DC-to-DC power converter, a highvoltage DC-to-DC power converter, a DC power optimizer, or the like.

Referring now to FIG. 12, in some embodiments, the AC electronicaccessory device 124 may also be configured to connect to the powersupply housing 800 of the PV module junction box 106. Similar to the DCelectronic accessory device 122, the AC electronic accessory device 124may include an accessory housing 1200 having a plurality of sidewalls1202 and an upper or top wall 1204. The accessory housing 1200 includesthe one or more attachment connectors 1112 sized and position to bereceived in the attachment connectors 822 of the power supply housing800 to secure the AC electronic accessory device 124 to the junction box106 as discussed above. Again, the attachment connectors 1112 and/or theattachment connectors 822 may include suitable securing structures 1114to secure the AC electronic accessory device 124 to the junction box 106such as springs, clips, catch-pins, and/or the other securing devices.

Additionally, the accessory housing 1200 includes an inductive couplingconnector 1210 extending from one of the sidewalls 1202 of the accessoryhousing 1200. In such embodiments, the inductive coupling connector 1210is sized and positioned to be received in a corresponding inductivecoupling receptacle 1212 of the power supply housing 800 of the junctionbox 106. As discussed in more detail below, the inductive couplingconnector 1210 includes an internal chamber 1214 in which a secondarycoil, or a portion thereof, of an internal electronic circuit 1216 ofthe AC electronic accessory device is positioned. The secondary coilinductively couples with the transformer primary 314 of the configurablepower supply circuit 110 when the inductive coupling connector 1210 isreceived in the inductive coupling receptacle 1212. In the illustrativeembodiment, each of the inductive coupling connector 1210 and theinductive coupling receptacle 1212 has a substantially rectangularcross-section. The cross-sectional area of the inductive couplingreceptacle 1212 may be slightly larger than the cross-sectional area ofthe inductive coupling connector 1210 to allow the male inductivecoupling connector 1210 to be received in the female inductive couplingreceptacle 1212.

Additionally, in some embodiments, as illustrated in FIG. 13, theaccessory housing 1200 of the AC electronic accessory device 124 mayalso include one or more DC plugs 1300 extending from the sidewall 1202of the accessory housing 1200. The DC plugs 1300 are sized andpositioned to be received in the DC receptacles 900 when the ACelectronic accessory device 124 is coupled to the junction box 106. Whenso received, the DC plugs 1300 environmentally seal the DC receptacles900. The DC plugs 1300 may be formed from any suitable material capableof sealing the DC receptacles 900 such as a polymer, rubber, or plasticmaterial.

Referring now to FIG. 14, in one embodiment, the AC electronic accessorydevice 124 is configured as an AC-to-AC converter 1400. As such, whenthe AC-to-AC converter 1400 is coupled to the configurable power supply110, the converter 1400 and the configurable power supply 110 form aDC-to-AC inverter. The converter 1400 includes an output converter 1402and an output controller 1404. The output controller 1404 iselectrically coupled to the output converter 1402 and configured tocontrol the operation of the output converter 1202 to convert an ACwaveform induced by the input converter 202 to an output AC waveformsuitable for delivery to an AC grid 1406. For example, the outputcontroller 1404 may be configured to use a pulse width modulationalgorithm to control the output converter 1402 such that the output ACwaveform is pulse width modulated. To do so, the output controller 1404may provide a plurality of switching and/or control signals to variouscircuits of the output converter 1402 as described in more detail below.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the converter 1400 may includecommunication circuitry 1408. The communication circuitry 1408 may becommunicatively coupled to the output controller 1404 or may beincorporated therein in some embodiments. The output controller 1404 mayutilize the communication circuitry 1408 to communicate with remotedevices, such as remote controllers or servers. In one particularembodiment, the communication circuitry 1408 is embodied as a power linecommunication circuit configured to communicate with remote devices overan AC power line, such as the AC power line interconnects coupled to theoutput of the output converter 1402. However, in other embodiments,other communication technologies and/or protocols may be used. Forexample, in some embodiments, the communication circuitry 1408 may beembodied as a wireless or wired communication circuit configured tocommunicate with remote devices utilizing one or more wireless or wiredcommunication technologies and/or protocols such as Wi-FI™, Zigbee®,ModBus®, WiMAX, Wireless USB, Bluetooth®, TCP/IP, USB, CAN-bus,HomePNA™, and/or other wired or wireless communication technology and/orprotocol.

Referring now to FIG. 15, one embodiment of an output converter 1402that may be inductively coupled to the input converter 202 of theconfigurable power supply circuit 110 is shown. The output converter1402 includes a transformer secondary 1500, which is configured toinductively couple with the transformer primary 314 of the inputconverter 202 when the AC electronic accessory device 124 is coupled tothe junction box 106 as discussed in more detail below. When so coupled,the transformer secondary coil 1500 generates an AC power signal whichis rectified by a rectifier circuit 1502 of the output converter 1402.The rectifier circuit 1502 is configured to rectify the AC waveform to aDC waveform, which is supplied to a DC power bus 1504 of the outputconverter 1402. As discussed below, the DC power bus 1504 may beembodied as one or more capacitors configured to store and releaseenergy. The output converter 1402 also includes an inverter circuit1506, which is electrically coupled to the DC power bus 1504. Theinverter circuit 1506 is configured to convert the DC bus power waveformto an output AC waveform, which is filtered by a filter 1508 prior tobeing supplied to the AC grid 1406.

One embodiment of the output converter 1402 is schematically illustratedin FIG. 16. The transformer secondary 1500 is embodied as a secondarycoil 1600. The secondary coil 1500 includes a plurality of coil turnsbased on the desired voltage level of the AC output of the outputconverter 1502. In addition, it should be appreciated that the use ofthe primary coil 1704 and secondary coil 1600 provides an amount ofisolation between the configurable power supply circuit 110 and theoutput converter 1402. The rectifier circuit 1502 is electricallycoupled to the secondary coil 1600 and is configured to convert the ACwaveform generated in the secondary coil 1600 to a DC bus waveformsupplied to the DC power bus 1504. In the illustrative embodiment, therectifier circuit 1502 is embodied as a full-bridge rectifier formedfrom a plurality of diodes 1602, 1604, 1606, 1608. Again, in otherembodiments, other circuit topologies may be used in the rectifiercircuit 1502.

The DC power bus 1504 is also shown in FIG. 16. The DC power bus 1504illustratively includes a bus capacitor 1610, which may be embodied asone or more individual capacitive devices. For example, the buscapacitor 1610 may be embodied as one or more film capacitors,electrolytic capacitors, or other capacitive devices. Additionally, inthe illustrative embodiment, the power bus 1504 is a DC power bus andreceives the DC bus waveform from the rectifier circuit 1502.

The inverter circuit 1506 is illustrative embodied as a bridge circuitformed by a plurality of switches 1620, 1622, 1624, 1626. Each of theswitches 1620, 1622, 1624, 1626 are configured to receive acorresponding control signal, q_(OC1), q_(OC2), q_(OC3), q_(OC4), fromthe output controller 1404 to control operation of the inverter circuit1306. The output controller 1404 may use PWM to control the switches1620, 1622, 1624, 1626 to generate a pulse width modulated AC waveform.Of course, it should be appreciated that although the illustrativeinverter circuit 1506 is a embodied as a full-bridge circuit, othercircuit topologies such as a half-bridge circuit may be used in otherembodiments.

The filter 1508 is configured to filter the output voltage by reducingthe conducted interference, reducing current ripple, and satisfyingregulatory requirements. In the illustrative embodiment, the filter 1508includes differential-mode inductors 1630, 1632 and a line filtercapacitor 1634.

Referring now to FIG. 17, as discussed above, the transformer secondary1500 of the output converter 1402 is configured to inductively couplewith the transformer primary 314 of the input converter 202 when the ACelectronic accessory device 124 is connected to the PV module junctionbox 106. To do so, the AC electronic accessory device 124 may include aninductive coupling connector 1210, which is sized and positioned to bereceived in a corresponding inductive coupling receptacle. 1212 of thejunction box 106. As discussed above, the inductive coupling connector1210 includes an internal chamber 1214 in which an end of a transformercore 1700 is positioned. The secondary coil 1600 of the transformersecondary 1500 is wound around an internal end 1702 of the transformercore 1700 extending from the internal chamber 1214. Of course, in someembodiments the secondary coil 1600, or a portion thereof, may also belocated in the internal chamber 1214. As discussed above, thetransformer secondary 1500 is electrically connected to rectifiercircuit 1502 of the output converter 1402.

Similarly, a primary coil 1704 of the transformer primary 314 is woundaround a plurality of sidewalls the form the inductive couplingreceptacle 1202. The primary coil 1704 is electrically coupled to othercircuitry of the input converter 202 as discussed above. Suchpositioning of the primary coil 1704 allows the primary coil 1704 andthe secondary 1600 to inductively couple when the inductive couplingconnector 1210 is received in the corresponding inductive couplingreceptacle 1212 even though the configurable power supply circuit 110and the internal electronic circuit 1204 are physically isolated formeach other via the housings 800, 1200. Such inductive coupling allowsthe input converter 202 to transfer energy to the output converter 1402via the coils 1704, 1600. Of course, it should be appreciated that theinductive coupling connector 1210 and the inductive coupling receptacle1212 may be embodied as different connectors and receptacle in otherembodiments. Additionally, it should be appreciated that in someembodiments, the AC electronic accessory device 124 may not include thetransformer core 1700. In such embodiments, the AC electronic accessorydevice 124 may also not include the inductive coupling connector 1210and the PV module junction box 106 may not include the correspondinginductive coupling receptacle 1212. In such embodiments, the primarycoil 1704 and the secondary 1600 may be configured to inductively coupleacross a substantially planar interface (i.e., the interfacing walls ofthe AC electronic accessory device 124 and the PV module junction box106 may be void of the inductive coupling connector 1210 and theinductive coupling receptacle 1212).

It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the AC electronicaccessory device 124 may be configured to generate a DC power output.For example, as illustrated in FIG. 18, the AC electronic accessorydevice 124 may be embodied as an AC-to-DC converter 1800. Similar to theconverter 1400, the converter 1800 includes an output converter 19802and an output controller 1804. The output controller 1804 iselectrically coupled to the output converter 1802 and configured tocontrol the operation of the output converter 1802 to convert an ACwaveform induced by the input converter 202 to a DC power output fordelivery to a DC load 1806.

Additionally, similar to the converter 1400, the converter 1800 mayinclude communication circuitry 1808 in some embodiments. Thecommunication circuitry 1808 may be communicatively coupled to theoutput controller 1804 or may be incorporated therein in someembodiments. The output controller 1804 may utilize the communicationcircuitry 1808 to communicate with remote devices, such as remotecontrollers or servers. For example, the communication circuitry 1808may be embodied as a wireless or wired communication circuit configuredto communicate with remote devices utilizing one or more wireless orwired communication technologies and/or protocols such as Wi-Fi™,Zigbee®, ModBus®, WiMAX, Wireless USB, Bluetooth®, TCP/IP, USB, CAN-bus,HomePNA™, and/or other wired or wireless communication technology and/orprotocol.

On illustrative embodiment of a AC-to-DC converter 1802 that may beinductively coupled to the input converter 202 of the configurable powersupply circuit 110 is illustrated in FIG. 19. The output converter 1802includes a transformer secondary 1900, which is configured toinductively couple with the transformer primary 314 of the inputconverter 202 when the AC electronic accessory device 124 is coupled tothe junction box 106 as discussed above. When so coupled, thetransformer secondary coil 1900 generates an AC power signal which isrectified by a rectifier circuit 1902 of the output converter 1802. Therectifier circuit 1902 is configured to rectify the AC waveform to a DCwaveform, which is supplied to a DC power bus 1904 of the outputconverter 1402. Similar to the DC power bus 1504, the DC power bus 1804may be embodied as one or more capacitors configured to store andrelease energy.

One embodiment of the output converter 1802 is schematically illustratedin FIG. 20. The transformer secondary 1800 is embodied as a secondarycoil 2000. The secondary coil 2000 includes a plurality of coil turnsbased on the desired voltage level of the DC power output of the outputconverter 1802. That is, the transformer formed from the primary coil1704 of the configurable power supply 110 and the secondary coil 2000may be embodied as a step-up transformer (i.e., have a relatively lowprimary-to-secondary turns ratio) or a step-down transformer (i.e., havea relatively high primary-to-secondary turns ratio). As such, theresultant voltage level of the DC power output of the output converter1802 can be selected based on the coil turns of the secondary coil. Inaddition, it should be appreciated that the use of the primary coil 1704and secondary coil 2000 provides an amount of isolation between theconfigurable power supply circuit 110 and the output converter 1802.

The rectifier circuit 1902 is electrically coupled to the secondary coil2000 and is configured to convert the AC waveform generated in thesecondary coil 2000 to a DC bus waveform supplied to the DC power bus2010. In the illustrative embodiment, the rectifier circuit 1902 isembodied as a full-bridge rectifier formed from a plurality of diodes2002, 2004, 2006, 2008. Again, in other embodiments, other circuittopologies may be used in the rectifier circuit 1902.

The illustrative power bus 1904 includes as a bus capacitor 2010, whichmay be embodied as one or more individual capacitive devices. Forexample, similar to the bus capacitor 1610 of the power bus 1504described above, the bus capacitor 2010 may be embodied as one or morefilm capacitors, electrolytic capacitors, or other capacitive devices.Additionally, in the illustrative embodiment, the power bus 1904 is a DCpower bus and receives a DC bus waveform from the rectifier circuit1902. The power bus 1904 delivers a DC power output signal to theoutputs 2012 of the converter 1802.

Referring now to FIG. 21, in some embodiments, the input controller 204of the configurable power supply 110 may execute a method 2100 forcontrolling the input converter 202. The method 2100 begins with block2102 in which it is determined whether a DC electronic accessory device122 has been coupled to the PV module junction box 106. The inputcontroller 204 may determine the presence of the DC electronic accessorydevice 122 based on predetermined information (e.g., a software setting,a physical switch, etc.) or based on sensed signals of the inputconverter 202 (e.g., based on a sensed DC current output being greaterthan a predetermined threshold). If the input controller 204 determinesthat a DC electronic accessory device 122 has been coupled to the PVmodule junction box 106, the method 2100 advances to block 2104 in whichthe input controller 204 determines whether DC pass-through has beenselected. Again, the input controller 204 may determine the DCpass-through based on predetermined information (e.g., a softwaresetting, a physical switch, etc.) or based on sensed signals of theinput converter 202 (e.g., based on a magnitude of a DC output currentor on a signal received from the DC electronic accessory device 122).

If the input controller 204 determines that DC pass-through has beenselected, the method 2100 advances to block 2106 in which the circuittopology switch 304 is placed in the “on” state. When the switch 304 isclosed, the circuit topology of the input converter 202 is modified to aDC pass-through circuit 700 (see FIG. 7) in which the DC output of theDC source 200 is supplied to the DC output of the input converter 202with minimal or no processing as discussed above.

Referring back to block 2104, if the input controller 204 determinesthat DC pass-through has not been selected, the method 2100 advances toblock 2108 in which the circuit topology switch 304 is opened (i.e.,placed in the “off” state). When the switch 304 is opened, the circuittopology of the input converter 202 is modified to a buck-boostconverter 500 (see FIG. 5) in which a boosted or otherwise processed DCpower output is supplied to the DC output of the input converter 202.Subsequently, in block 1810, the input converter 202 generates the DCoutput.

Referring back to block 2102, if the input controller 204 determinesthat a DC electronic accessory device 122 has not been coupled to the PVmodule junction box 106, the method 2100 advances to block 2112. Inblock 1812, the input controller 204 determines whether an AC electronicaccessory device 124 has been coupled to the PV module junction box 106.The input controller 204 may determine whether the AC electronicaccessory device 124 has been coupled to the PV module junction box 106using any suitable methodology. For example, in some embodiments, theinput controller 204 may determine whether a sensed AC output current ofan AC output of the configurable power supply circuit 110 is above apredetermined threshold or whether the primary coil 1704 is inductivelycoupled to the secondary coil 1600, 2000 of the AC electronic accessorydevice 124. If not, the method 2100 loops back to block 1802. However,if the input controller 204 determines that an AC electronic accessorydevice 124 has been coupled to the PV module junction box 106 (e.g.,based on predetermined data such as a physical switch or based on senseddata such as a sensed current of the transformer primary 314), themethod 2100 advances to block 2114. In block 2114, the circuit topologyswitch 304 is closed (i.e., placed in the “on” state). When the switch304 is closed, the input converter 202 is configured as a full bridgeDC-AC inverter circuit configured to generate an AC waveform across thetransformer primary 314. As discussed above, the transformer primary 314may be inductively coupled with a corresponding transformer secondary1500, 1900 of an output converter 1402, 1802 to generate an AC poweroutput.

There is a plurality of advantages of the present disclosure arisingfrom the various features of the apparatuses, circuits, and methodsdescribed herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of theapparatuses, circuits, and methods of the present disclosure may notinclude all of the features described yet still benefit from at leastsome of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in theart may readily devise their own implementations of the apparatuses,circuits, and methods that incorporate one or more of the features ofthe present disclosure and fall within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. An photovoltaic module comprising: a direct current (DC) power sourcecomprising a plurality of solar cells configured to generate DC power ata DC output of the DC power source in response to receiving an amount ofsun light; and a configurable power supply electrically coupled to theDC power source, the configurable power supply comprising: (i) an inputconverter having an input electrically coupled to the DC output of theDC power source, the input converter being selectively configurablebetween a first circuit topology to generate a DC power output and asecond circuit topology to generate an alternating current (AC) poweroutput, and (ii) an input controller electrically connected to the inputconverter to control the input converter to select one of the firstcircuit topology and the second circuit topology.
 2. The photovoltaicmodule of claim 1, wherein the input converter comprises a buck-boostconverter when configured in the first circuit topology.
 3. Thephotovoltaic module of claim 1, wherein the input converter comprises apass-through circuit when configured in the first circuit topology, thepass-through circuit passing the DC power generated by the DC powersource to a DC output of the input converter with substantially noprocessing.
 4. The photovoltaic module of claim 1, wherein the inputconverter comprises a DC-AC inverter circuit when configured in thesecond circuit topology.
 5. The photovoltaic module of claim 1, whereinthe input converter is further selectively configurable into a thirdcircuit topology to generate a DC power output different from the DCpower output of the first circuit topology.
 6. The photovoltaic moduleof claim 5, wherein: the input converter comprises a buck-boostconverter when configured in the first circuit topology, the inputconverter comprises a DC-AC inverter circuit when configured in thesecond circuit topology, and the input converter comprises apass-through circuit when configured in the third circuit topology. 7.The photovoltaic module of claim 1, wherein the input convertercomprises a semiconductor switch having an on state and an off state,and the state of the electronic switch configures the input converterinto a corresponding one of the first circuit topology and the secondcircuit topology.
 8. The photovoltaic module of claim 7, wherein theinput converter is configured to control the state of the electronicswitch to select the corresponding one of the first circuit topology andthe second circuit topology of the input converter.
 9. The photovoltaicmodule of claim 7, wherein the state of the electronic switch isdependent upon an control signal received from the input converter. 10.The photovoltaic module of claim 7, wherein the state of the electronicswitch is dependent upon a sensed DC output current of the inputconverter.
 11. The photovoltaic module of claim 1, wherein the inputconverter comprises an H-bridge circuit and an electronic switch coupledto the H-bridge circuit, the electronic switch having an on state and anoff state, wherein the stat of the electronic switch configures theinput converter into a corresponding one of the first circuit topologyand the second circuit topology.
 12. The photovoltaic module of claim 1,wherein the input converter comprises a physical switch that is manuallycontrollable to a closed state and to an open state, wherein the stateof the physical switch configures the input converter into acorresponding one of the first circuit topology and the second circuittopology.
 13. A power supply circuit comprising: an input converterhaving an input to receive a direct current (DC) power input andcomprising a semiconductor switch having an on state and an off state,the input converter being selectively configurable between a firstcircuit topology to generate a DC power output and a second circuittopology to generate an AC power output based on the state of theelectronic switch; and an input controller electrically connected to theinput converter to supply a control signal to the electronic switch toselect the state of the electronic switch.
 14. The power supply of claim13, wherein the input converter comprises a buck-boost converter whenconfigured in the first circuit topology.
 15. The power supply of claim13, wherein the input converter comprises a pass-through circuit whenconfigured in the first circuit topology, the pass-through circuitpassing the DC power input to a DC output of the input converter withsubstantially no processing.
 16. The power supply of claim 13, whereinthe input converter comprises a DC-AC inverter circuit when configuredin the second circuit topology.
 17. The power supply of claim 13,wherein the input converter comprises an H-bridge circuit, wherein thesemiconductor switch is coupled to between two legs of the H-bridgecircuit.
 18. A system for generating an amount of output power inresponse to a direct current (DC) power input, the system comprising: aconfigurable power supply having an input to receive the DC power input,the configurable power supply comprising: (i) an input converterselectively configurable between a first circuit topology to generate aDC power output signal at a DC output of the configurable power supplyand a second circuit topology to generate an alternating current (AC)power output at an AC output of the configurable power supply, and (ii)an input controller electrically connected to the input converter tocontrol the input converter to select one of the first circuit topologyand the second circuit topology; and at least one of a DC electronicaccessory device and an AC electronic accessory device, wherein: (i) theDC electronic accessory device is electrically couplable to the DCoutput of the input converter to receive the DC power output of theinput converter, the DC accessory including a first internal electroniccircuit, and (ii) the AC electronic accessory device inductivelycouplable to the AC output of the input converter to receive the ACpower output of the input converter, the AC accessory including a secondinternal electronic circuit.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the DCelectronic accessory device comprises one of a low voltage DC-to-DCpower converter, a high voltage DC-to-DC power converter, and a DC poweroptimizer.
 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the AC electronicaccessory device comprises one of a single phase AC-to-AC powerconverter, a three phase AC-to-AC power converter, and an AC-to-DC powerconverter.